Chapter 190 : Chapter 190
190 – How Can Lu Zheng Have Such Ridiculous Luck With Women?!
"Hey, we're planning to have a little celebration party at Lester's place later—want to come?"
The members of the Friendly Money-Making Squad had just finished collecting their quest rewards and made their way over to Lu Zheng and Yi Ning, casually extending the invitation.
But, of course, their intentions weren't entirely pure.
Lester, the one who’d fronted the cost for Lu Zheng and Yi Ning to join the Adventurer’s Guild, knew full well—
If they couldn’t even pay one silver coin, they almost certainly couldn’t afford a place to sleep tonight.
Fortunately, Lester had the means. He had a house. And offering a spare room or two to the two broke newcomers wasn’t any trouble at all.
Of course, he wasn’t doing this out of pure selflessness either.
Lester was well-known as a kind soul in the city, but not the kind to bring every wandering soul into his home.
No—he was doing this because of Lu Zheng’s strength.
An A-rank adventurer, already eligible for an S-rank promotion test.
Lester had no delusions about recruiting Lu Zheng into his squad.
His team simply couldn’t contain such a big-shot.
But if he could get on friendly terms with someone like Lu Zheng, then maybe… tag along on a few top-tier quests… Even just picking up scraps would be enough to make his team filthy rich.
And through their interactions, Lester had come to understand Lu Zheng’s personality. He was kind, yes, but also prideful.
If he were to directly invite Lu Zheng to stay over, the guy would most likely decline.
So instead—he opened with dinner.
And once they’d come all the way over, they’d eat, then maybe hang out for a bit… by then it’d be dark, and—
“It's late already, might as well just stay the night.”
The plan worked perfectly.
Lu Zheng was still considering it, when Yi Ning eagerly accepted the invitation.
With her onboard, Lu Zheng had no choice but to agree as well.
And so, the group left the Adventurer’s Guild in good spirits.
But just as they stepped out the door, a large crowd of adventurers suddenly surrounded the entrance, blocking it completely.
“Um… may we ask who you all are...?”
As the host, Lester stepped forward first.
He scanned the surrounding adventurers and immediately understood what was going on.
These folks were from two elite adventurer teams based in Esick City: Sky Sword and Cross Flash.
Two powerful and well-known groups.
You could tell just by the names.
In a world where even names like “Good Names Were Taken by Dogs” had to be fought over, having a cool, normal-sounding name was already a mark of power and wealth.
Lester could only shrug and retreat behind Lu Zheng.
Though he got along well with most of the adventurers here, that wasn’t enough to get involved in this kind of situation.
Before backing off completely, he did take a moment to whisper some intel about the two squads into Lu Zheng’s ear.
As Lu Zheng stepped forward, the crowd parted.
Their leaders came out to meet him.
First up—a full-suit armored knight, helmet and all…
Lu Zheng’s eyes paused briefly on the striking curvature of the chestplate.
A female knight.
“Greetings, Mr. Lu Zheng.”
She removed her helmet, letting a cascade of golden hair fall gracefully over her immaculate armor.
Her face was beautifully kept, and paired with her strong, confident bearing, she gave off a strikingly gallant aura.
Behind him, Yi Ning nodded in satisfaction.
A knight like that? Back home, she'd already been kidnapped by some evil overlord to get endlessly “defeated.”
The knight tucked her helmet under one arm and extended her hand toward Lu Zheng.
“I’m the captain of Sky Sword, and—”
But before she could finish, her handshake was intercepted.
Yi Ning glanced over and immediately locked on.
Another girl. And completely different from the rest of the conservative adventurers—she wore unmistakably church-issued attire.
Low-cut T-shirt, short skirt, black stockings—absolute territory on full display.
Among the armored crowd, she stood out like a beacon.
Even Yi Ning, who’d long outgrown hormonal impulses, couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at that jaw-dropping cleavage.
But then—She grabbed Lu Zheng’s hand and pressed his arm between her breasts.
Instant fury exploded in Yi Ning’s heart.
She instinctively looked down at her own flat plains, then back up at the towering Twin Mountains hugging Lu Zheng’s arm.
That size… at least ten times hers.
In other words: Ten Nings.
Yi Ning’s glare could’ve started a fire.
That bastard.
That bastard dares—?!
Why the hell does Lu Zheng get all the hot girls throwing themselves at him?!
She hadn’t even gotten a proper hug from a cute girl herself!
Yi Ning couldn’t quite pin down the choking feeling in her chest, but she knew one thing:
Lu Zheng was going to pay for this.
She took a step forward, ready to crash the breast-hug party.
Luckily, Lu Zheng had some self-awareness.
Before she could act, he skillfully withdrew his arm from the Twin Peaks and created some healthy distance from the temptress.
Smart move!
Yi Ning stopped and gave an approving nod from behind.
Lu Zheng, maintaining polite courtesy, asked, “And you two are…?”
Of course, it was just a formality.
He knew exactly why they were here.
Recruitment. No doubt.
Just as he expected, both girls had come to invite him into their squads.
And they were offering all kinds of benefits—free powerful gear, leadership positions, tons of money...
Even the seductive girl from Cross Flash invited Lu Zheng on a romantic night date.
Even if he didn’t join their team, she said, she’d still be happy to spend a “beautiful evening” together.
The moment she said that, Yi Ning’s death glare pierced Lu Zheng’s back like a dagger.
She’d be the one sleeping alone at Lester’s.
And Lu Zheng would be out having fun with Miss Ten Ning?!
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
No way in hell was she letting Lu Zheng enjoy that.
Thankfully, Lu Zheng had morals.
He didn’t go for one-night stands, and he definitely knew better than to fall for a “Don’t worry~ it’s totally fine~” kind of woman.
He firmly declined Miss Ten Ning’s invitation and, under the disappointed gazes of both women, politely rejected their offers.
“…I see.”
The knight sighed, but didn’t push.
Even if he didn’t join them now, being friends was still worthwhile.
But the Ten Ning girl pouted with real regret.
“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? Big sis here… is very, very skilled~ I promise… you’ll never forget that night~”
“And it’d only be for one night~”
She reached out again, trying to drag Lu Zheng back into her twin trap.
But Lu Zheng sidestepped her gracefully and turned to shake hands with the knight instead.
SLAP!
Before he could make contact—Yi Ning popped up and seized the knight’s hand first, giving it a firm, overly sweet handshake.
Her smile practically beamed like sunlight.
No way was she letting Lu Zheng get all the attention.
Today, Yi Ning would singlehandedly intercept every last one of Lu Zheng’s romantic prospects!